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This
is not maybe in the format that was wanted but it’s
what you are getting. A bit long winded but, so be it.
I
first saw mention of a visit to what was until 1958 known
as, the Kongwa European School, on Glynn Ford’s site
a few years ago. I am a person that likes to travel and
visit places. To achieve this my occupation as a Merchant
Navy Officer has been a great help. Travelling gives me
a buzz. I feel I could do it for ever. ‘Thankfully’ lack
of funds prevent this!
I first
really travelled in 1950, when as an eight year old; I
left the UK by ship with my mother sailing to the ‘Haven
of Peace’ where my father had been working for a
couple of years. The following year my father got a job
with the Game Department and so we moved to their headquarters
in Tengeru, a ‘camp’ with other Government
departments, some 11 miles out of Arusha on the road to
Moshi.
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In
the second half of 1952 I joined a few other kids for a
bus journey starting at 7.00am from outside the railway
station at Arusha bound for Dodoma. There we joined other
kids from around Tanganyika for an overnight train journey
to Kongwa. I was always jealous of the girls travelling
arrangements. On the buses they went 1st. Class and we
went in the back. On the trains they sometimes had 1st.
Class air-conditioned splendour. We had the pleasure of
3rd. Class carriages with wooden slatted benches around
the outside and along the middle. The outside run of ‘seating’ was
broken on one side by a small compartment, the choo! A
good introduction to boarding school life. My first term
there didn’t produce any real emotions. I do not
remember feeling unhappy. There may be some readers who
remember that during the second and subsequent terms I
was extremely home sick! Regardless the possibility of
a visit to the old place some 50 years after I left as
a student aroused excitement in me and a challenge. So,
having somehow got my wife Carole ‘interested’ in
joining me we managed to save sufficient funds for the
journey.
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Enough
of the pointless prelims
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I
even had a lapel badge then! |
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Six
ancient ex-Kongwa school pupils, four with wives were in
the party that was able to make the journey from whichever
part of the world they lived:- Adrian Begg and his wife
Jennie from Sydney; Aurelio Balletto and his wife Pauline
all the way from Malindi; Barbara
Laing from the UK and her brother Peter Larham from California;
Graeme aka Stewart Berry and his wife Gill; myself Jim aka
Sigurd Ivey and my wife Carole from the UK and also Francis
Howcutt who never attended the school but who was born on the
3rd. October in Kongwa hospital and whisked away by his parents
before he was a year old. For him I think the visit from the
UK was out of curiosity after presumably hearing all about
the place from his parents talking. My initial feelings were
that of curiosity and a touch of excitement. This changed,
not surprisingly, during our stay!
The
school is now called Mnyakongo Primary School. Where do
the 800+
students fit? A tad larger number than when I was there!
I believe they have ‘two sittings’. (Singapore
used that method in the 60’s when there was an influx
of kids of a certain age.) All 11 of us arrived there around
midday on Thursday 2nd. October. The arid
dustiness was still the same, though there was
not much humidity.
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The
trees had obviously grown somewhat but, were
noticeably void of leaves. We were met by the Headmistress
Mrs Angelina Monduli and Mr Thadeo Karishe a Governor of
the school. My memory of the part of the school we were
in was very vague.
Apparently it
was originally the whole Junior and Senior schools. There
was evidence of three buildings in a line the end ones
were complete and used but, the middle one only had the
foundations remaining. What had housed the Seniors also
had the Headmistresses office. I had recollections
of my one
and only term in the area. I was in what was
the Junior block in a middle classroom.
There were wooden railings on which I used to sit observing
my girl friend in the adjacent classroom! The railings no longer
exist and all the classrooms with the exception of one adjacent
to Angelina’s office are void of furniture – a
thing we had plans to rectify. This visit consisted mainly
of the introductions between us and the teachers and Governor
which was carried out in Angelina’s office. I noticed
a predominance of female teaching staff. Outside the Tanzanian
flag flew proudly in the slight breeze, white painted stones
marked the flower bed and parking areas. I doubt any of this
existed in my time, though I remember a flagpole which we used
for bok bok! Do not remember much transport though I suppose
all the teachers had some.I remember Miss Davies the biology
teacher having a Baby Austin and Percy Shuttleworth had a VW
Beetle.
Introductions were carried out in
Swahili by the teachers and Swahili or English by the visitors.
When these were over we headed some 5 miles behind Kongwa Hill
to check in at the St. Philips Mission where we were to stay
for a couple of nights. A quite comfortable establishment.
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I
had a copy of Anthony Edwards’s plan of the school
from his memory. It came in handy even with a few errors!
No fault of Anthony’s, my memory of where things
were was virtually non existent! Various corrections were
made by folk present. That afternoon it was back towards
the school. Most folk were (naturally) all excited at finding
C block and Snake Rock. I noticed the old gym was missing.
Later the ‘baobab tree with a root across a donga’ was
found. Unfortunately these left me stone dead. I had no
real memories of any of these places. I was sort of disappointed
that the big swings no longer existed. I think they were
behind the Junior block. A bit daft really. They had been
metal and I am sure would have rotted away years, no, decades
ago. I had enjoyed them though. The only places I desired
to see where the boys messroon, the secondary school class
rooms and where I lived between 1953 and 1956.
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Beyond
interest in the messroom, adjoining kitchen and secondary
school my company was hell bent on seeking out other places.
I had forgotten we had had our own power supply. The foundations
of that building were found and identified by the generator
holding down bolts still being there. Next sighting was
the now overgrown tennis courts, marked out for netball,
where end of term dances used to be held. Didn’t
do much dancing then – too shy and ignorant except
when any Old Thyme music was played. We had had dancing
lessons for that. For ‘old time sakes’ two
couples performed an excerpt of the Gay Gordons to the
amusement of the others. Maybe the heat had got to them?
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Never
did know why we were not taught anything more modern. I
had to wait until my next boarding school before that opportunity
arose. Excitement arose when a building, in very good condition,
was recognised by all as ‘the duka.’ I remember
buying small 50cents tins of condensed milk and chewing
gum there. Now it’s a church – maybe the reason
for its good condition. It was at the end of a piece of
road which still had a little tarmac on the surface! Not
bad after 50 + years. One thing missing was all the manyara
hedging I remember. Virtually all gone. Later on excitement
arose again with the finding of more nearby foundations.
This time the girl’s kitchen and messroom. Also a
bit later on the remains of ‘unit’ (?) where
the girls move to in 1953, again just foundations. And
lastly for that day the donga and attached baobab! All
this walking under unaccustomed heat, without shade, caused
a few dry throats. Our drivers very willingly found a place,
called ‘Serengeti’, where relief was found.
It was then back to base, a meal, shower, if you were lucky,
and bed. Regardless of the fact I had not seen much which
meant anything to me I had had an enjoyable day. Was happy
to have experienced it and was looking forward to tomorrow
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The
next day, Friday the 3rd. we had a meeting with the local
DC whom we put in the picture as to the reason of our visit.
It was felt a good bit of PR. He made us very welcome,
though only with softies. Then we moved on to the local
carpentry school where a contract was drawn up for the
payment of the construction of a number of desks and seats
for both the pupils and teachers. It had been suggested
some time before we arrived in Tanzania that we could make
a collection among ourselves and use that to help with
whatever needs the school had. It was generally decided
that kind was better than hard cash. This turned out to
be what was preferred by Mrs Monduli. Aurelio’s phone
calls found out the school requirements. Besides the furniture
the school had no electricity so with some funds which
remained from the carpentry contract the supply of electricity
poles was thought about, but later cancelled due to the
sudden increase in price quoted by the Electricity Company
TANESCO.
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It
was then on to the school for another important and emotional
meeting. This all happened during school holidays but,
we arrived to see a few hundred of the kids in their uniforms,
forming orderly lines facing a shaded area where we were
directed to sit under at a table on which they had set
vases of flowers and bottles of water. I, and I suspect
the others, felt very ‘privileged and honoured’ by
the gesture. Angelina and the school Governor sat among
us and the teaching staff sat behind us. The kids had the
pleasure of no shade and just the ground to sit on. I was
very moved by it all, and I do not think there was a dry
eye among us. It took some time afterwards, when thinking
of the occasion, before it didn’t bring a tear to
my eyes.
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Seeing
the uniforms of white shirts brought a smile to my face
though, reminding me of the horror on my mothers face when
she unpacked my tin trunk after arriving home at the end
of my first term. During the week we, the boys, wore khakis.
Sundays it was whites. My mother only found khakis and
pinks! That was thanks to the red murram soil Kongwa was
built on. The dust was very fine and got everywhere! After
our dhobie boy's vain efforts to return the pinks to whites,
poor mother soaked, scrubbed, boiled and washed all to
no avail.
The die was cast!
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The
kids entertained us with singing and dancing. It must have
taken some training by the school staff. It was very moving.
After Barbara was presented with a kitenge and Francis
a kikoi, and all
of us received a container of local organic honey we were
directed
into a classroom. The construction of this had been financed
by Richard Hobbs, the son of a teacher during my time.
There, we were provided with a buffet of tasty local dishes,
all cooked, I think by parents of some of the kids. The
teachers once again joined us.
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After
we were shown the sparse library we bid farewell to the
staff and kids washing up the pots and then it was off
again to try and find things we remembered. A couple of
us with our spouses who had been sucked into the atmosphere
by it all set off. What had been our secondary school was
now a fenced off area in which there appeared to be young
girls living. Where our old classrooms had been was now
brick built buildings, on the same foundations, which looked
in good condition. Amazing what a coat of paint can do!
All the wooden school walls had long since gone and where
needed were replaced by mud (?) bricked walls. I was sorry
I never got inside the compound. Maybe next time? An old
white haired gentleman presented himself to us. He had
been the cook at the Kongwa Club during the 50’s!
One of my aims was to see if a baobab some of us used to
climb was still standing. Disappointment was the order
of the day. We never found it or the mud bricked houses
we boys had lived in.
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We
did find what had been the swimming pool at the Kongwa
Club. I was pleased to see somebody had removed all the
weeds and bushes which appeared to be around and in the
pool from a photograph taken in 1980, I think. Then with
the help of a vehicle we were taken up to St. Andrews church.
Glynn had various photos of its life from beginning to
very recently. Still standing room only. A new corrugated
iron roof has been fitted. No doubt, to provide some acoustical
accompaniment during a rainy service! Memory of the establishment
was vague except for all the mica in the area. Today the
ground didn’t sparkle in the sunshine very much.
It was then back to the ‘Serengeti’ where Francis
had promised a drink to us all. It was his birthday wasn’t
it. Actually in the morning the school kids surprised us
by singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him in English!
Dry throats dampened, back to St Philips for a meal, wash
and bed.
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Saturday
4th. it was time to bid farewell to the Mission staff.
A diversion or two were requested before we set off for
Dar-es-Salaam again. Because of this we ended up in the
original village square as I vaguely remembered during
my ‘illegal’ visits there. One of the Indian-run
stores was still in action. Adrian remembered his family
shopping there when the present owner’s father was
in charge.
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Off
we set again only to stop by a suspicious baobab tree.
Much excitement for me and since it had a hole in the
side it was decided we must be by what we knew as the cricket
pitch! Full of houses and shambas now! Definitely not
sorry.
Used to hate standing under the sweltering heat while
fielding during a house match. Felt in a bit of a hurry
so didn’t
get right inside the tree to see if the brown and white
stripped thing was still at the top. Another thing for
next visit!
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Actually
I had made a good aim with my camera inside the tree. You
can see the climbing pegs up to the brown and white stripped
skin behind what I was lead to believe the local Wagogo
tribe buried their dead. The pegs and skin look as what
I remember 50 years ago!
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Further
on we caught up with the other vehicle which had an appointment
with the sighting of the hospital where Francis was born.
Would have like to visit myself – no time – maybe
next visit. I was an inmate twice during my time. Once
when I had measles and we used to get a penicillin jab
alternate cheeks every morning. One of the three of us
in the ward seemed to have white spots and not red ones!
The iron lung was in the same ward. The thought of being
stuck in one of those still makes me shudder. Another visit
was when I had tonsillitis. I was made to swallow ginormous
tablets washed down with copious amounts of Trufu (?) orange
squash. The third visit was to visit displays of things
put on during the Coronation of QEII. A fourth visit was
unofficial along with a couple of other guys when we wanted
some honey from a bee hive up a tree. The only thing we
got was stung! Talking of honey, I have been having the
odd spread of the honey the school gave us. It has a slight
smoked flavour but still enjoyable and beneficial health
wise.
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Anthony
Edwards asked me to take some photos for his memoirs. On
the way out of Kongwa I don’t think we ever found
where the railway station had been so I was unable to oblige
with that particular shot of the two main hills.
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I
was now excited to be travelling again. Even the rough
road out of Kongwa didn’t bother me. I think in our
vehicle there were quite a few silent periods when maybe
we were thinking of our experiences. The renewed and the
new experiences. I have always wanted to return. I am glad
I did. I look forward to my next as I believe Carole and
most others will. Talk of painting walls could be an incentive
or maybe a deterrent! Since my time as a teenager living
in Tanganyika I have always liked to return. With my job
in the Merchant Navy I chose a Company which traded there
ostensibly to see my folks, who had returned to Dar, but,
maybe the continent was ‘in my blood.’ I have
visited many ports from Lobito, in Angola, round the Cape
up as far as Port Sudan and the Suez Canal. Many of the
ports I visited many times. North of Mombasa does little
for me but Mombasa southwards I will never tire of visiting.
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Excitement
and sorrow at what I see comes to mind. Our friends in
the Southern part of the continent didn’t join us.
One who I correspond with said he couldn’t afford
it. Considering that, with one exception, they live a lot
closer than the rest of us that so relatively it should
cost them less. A few of us decided that living on the
continent,
East Africa
southwards
anyway,
the thought of visiting
another part of the continent doesn’t give them a
buzz. Aurelio, I noticed you never showed any excitement
while at Kongwa, and you an Italian! So I feel you likewise
because of where you live also do not get the same effect
as us from overseas. I am extremely glad you did attend.
We would have been lost without your Swahili expertise.
Hakia Mungu. (Pardon the spelling.) Also the ability for
you to make contact by telephone prior to our visit was
very beneficial. Otherwise the two days would not been
sufficient to complete the tasks that were completed. Those
involved did a grand job.
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At
Kongwa and elsewhere in Tanzania we were always greeted
by friendly children. There seemed reasonable stability
in the country. If you spoke to them in Swahili it was
eagerly snapped up and conversation was carried on in that
language, sometimes, to mine anyway, embarrassment when
English had to be used again! We had noticed upcountry
in Kenya the use of Swahili was frowned upon. The language
preferred was English!
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Besides
things missing that have already been mentioned I never
heard a kasuku, nor saw evidence of hyena. I did ask somebody
but have forgotten what their answer was. Maybe no food
for either of them. The wazungus had left. There used to
be loads of kasukus in Dar in the 60’s and 70’s
when I visited the port. Never heard one during the few
days I had there this time.
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I
hope you all arrived home safely in your various countries
after visiting various other places and countries. Hope
to see you all again – plus a few others – next
time.
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Kwaheri
wenzi
Jim aka
Sigurd aka Sigara Ivey
Kongwa 1952 to 1956
E & O E!!
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